The Crossbow Calendar: 2018 will mark the 31st edition of the calendar, and it will also be the penultimate one. Alltough we will produce a 2019 Special to mark the final issue.

Publisher John Winthrope now has 4 Grand Children & is 71 years of age, & although he has been semi-retired for 3 years, his beautiful Grand Children, plus the death in 2017 of photographer Vic Barnes have had a big impact on his decision.

Having chosen to retire, then he decided the calendar would retire with him, as he knows if he were to sell the calendar rights, he would not like what a new publisher might do with the product. It has been his baby for 32 years now, but he feels it is the right time for them both to retire.

When John started the calendar he looked at it as a bit of fun, he never thought for one minute it would go on to become the best known calendar in the biking world, and he would still be publishing it, all these years later.

During it's lifetime he has worked with most of the top page 3 models, and found some amazing bikes to include in the calendar, 384 stunning motorcycles to be exact, covering all styles.Does he have a favourite, well a Vincent special pictured at "The Vic" bikers pub in coalville ranks as one of his fav's, as to models, well the first Crossbow Calendar girl, Tracy Neve, who was followed by Debbee Ashby, but there have been so many, 138 in total so it is very hard to say, but those two plus Tracey Coleman and Gaynor Goodman are at the top of his list

We are now looking forward to doing something special for the last edition for 2019 Crossbow Calendar, which many have discribed as biking icon, a bit like our John.

John would like to thank all the many owners who have made their bikes available for him to include in the calendar, plus the many people who have helped in the production of the calendar over the years, especially the Harris Brothers, Steve & Lester plus Steve Bayford of Harris Performance, without whose help & encouragment the first calendar would never have happend.